Dosage dispenser



y 4, 1968 H.1 CERNIAK 3,382,969

DOSAGE DISPENSER Filed Dec. 19, 1966 2 SheetsSheet 1' Fig. 2

I i PRESS K & lid 2 HERE I I LIFTI UP o 509%! V /2 I N VEN TOR.

HENRY L. CER/V/AK BY PEA/OLE T 01V, NEU/lM/V SE/BOLD 8 W/LL/AMSATTORNEYS y 1968 H. CERNIAK 3,382,969

DOSAGE DISPENSER Filed Dec. 19, 1966 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR.

HENRY 1.. CERAl/AK BY PE/VDLETO/K NEUMA/y,

SE/BOLD a W/LL/AMS A TTOR/VEYS United States Patent 3,382,969 DOSAGEDISPENSER Henry L. Cerniak, 2101 Manchester Avc., Westchcster, Ill.62663 Filed Dec. 19, 1966, Ser. No. 602,765 3 Claims. (Cl. 20642)ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A dosage dispenser for use primarily indispensing medicines, having one compartment for each predetermineddosage, such as one days dosage, and a frangible cover enabling removalof the cover portions of exhausted compartments. The dispenser includesa flat surface for attaching instructions and has a size and shape forconvenient carrying.

Chemicals, including pills and capsules taken for medical reasons, arefrequently used on a regular predetermined schedule. For example, mostpeople have, at one time or another, used medicine in pill or capsuleform in the course of fighting disease and, or, maintaining a state ofgood health. Usually predetermined quantities of such medication aretaken at specified time intervals as before or after the normal threedaily meals.

The usual method for dispensing pills and other chemicals often rendersproper administration dependent solely on the memory of the user. In thecase of medical pills or capsules, for example, which are presentlydispensed from a plastic cylinder or paperboard box, the patient mustremember the previous days and times of day when the medicine was takenin order to continue proper administration. The memory of a sick personmay be exceedingly imperfect resulting in overdoses or insufiicientadministration, either of which could be seriously detrimental tohealth. Also, the directions for administration are oftentimes placedinside a cylindrical container where they cannot be properly read, whileproviding a source of contamination for the medicine to be takeninternally.

It is an object of this invention to eliminate the commonly-encounteredobjectionable features of the prior art dispensers by providing acompartmented container in Which usage thereof simultaneously indicatesthe specific amount previously used.

It is another object of this invention to provide a compartmentedcontainer in which the directions for medicine application are clearlydisposed on the container exterior out of contact with the tablets orcapsules to be taken internally.

It is yet another object of this invention to provide a compartmentedcontainer which renders impossible the omission of a specific medicineapplication by virtue of a frangible cover therefor as will hereinafterbe explained in greater detail.

Still a further object of the present invention is to provide acompartmented dispenser where the contents of one compartment may bedropped or lost and yet the planned use may be continued simply byknowing the time of day of the mishap.

The above and other objects of this invention will become more apparentupon proceeding with the following discussion when read in the light ofthe drawing and the appended claims.

In one embodiment of this invention, a plastic dispenser formed ofpolyethylene or other suitable plastic is provided comprising a flatcompartmented container. The container is of such size as to beconveniently carried in a pocket or womans handbag. A plurality ofcontainer compartments are in alignment along the axis of the containerwhereby daily dosages of pills or the like for a 3,382,969 Patented May14, 1968 specific period of time, as a week, may be taken. To insure thetaking of the daily dosage each compartment has a novel frangible cover,designed to be readily broken into fragments each of which is of suchsize to cover each individual compartment. In one embodiment, theoriginal integral cover is broken into a series of fragments each ofwhich is adapted to be pivotally moved relative to the open top of acompartment as will hereinafter be explained in greater detail. Inanother embodiment of the provided dispenser the cover is slidablymovable over the container compartments having opposed mating flangeportions.

For a more complete understanding of this invention reference will nowbe made to the drawing wherein:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of one embodiment of the dispenser made inaccordance with this invention;

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary enlarged perspective view of two of thecompartments employed in the dispenser of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary diagrammatical sectional view of one of thecompartments of the dispenser of FIG. 1 illustrating the manner in whichthe cover is hinged to the main container portion;

FIG. 4 is a view similar to FIG. 3 illustrating a modified type of bingeconstruction;

FIG. 5 is an enlarged perspective view illustrating the manner wherebythe cover of the dispenser of FIG. 1 may be broken into discrete coversections;

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a modified dispenser construction whichis substantially rectangular in configuration;

FIG. 7 is a fragmentary perspective view illustrating on an enlargedscale a cover member which may be employed as a component part of adispenser of FIG. 6, and

FIG. 8 is a fragmentary diagrammatical sectional view of the dispenserand cover of FIGS. 6 and 7.

Referring now more particularly to FIG. 1, a dispenser 10 is illustratedcomprising seven substantially semicircular compartments 12. Each of theseven compartments 12 contains one days medication so the medication ofthe entire container is dispensed in one week. The semicircular shape ofeach compartment 12 has been found to be particularly desirable,inasmuch as it provides a minimum of corner areas wherein a compressedpill or the like may be fragmented as a result of normal jostling aswhen the person utilizing the dispenser carries the same in a pocket orpurse. The dispenser It] has a main fiat surface 14 opposiely disposedto the semicircular portions of the compartments 12. The flat surface 14is desirable inasmuch as it provides a large area on which directionssuch as directions 16 may be adhesively or otherwise secured. Directions16 may be read without any difficulty whatsoever because of theirdisposition on the fiat surface 14, and, inasmuch as they are disposedon the exterior of the dispenser 10, they remain out of contact with thepills, capsules or other medicine contained within the dispenserpreventing any contamination thereof.

In accordance with this invention an initially integral cover member 18is provided having a notched longitudinal area or areas of. reducedthickness, such as notch 20 more clearly seen in FIG. 2, disposedbetween segments of the cover which are adapted to seal the contents ofeach semispherical compartment 12 from the surrounding atmosphere.

In accordance with this invention, the initially integral cover 18 maybe readily broken by hand into discrete cover sections 18a along notchedareas 20 disposed between the cover segments. With each days use of theprovided medicine in pill or capsule form, a discrete cover section 18ais broken free along notched line 20 whereby the cover section may beremoved from the container after the days supply of medicine has beenconsumed. The removability of the cover sections 18a, therefore,provides a means whereby accurate check may be kept of the medicinestaken in the course of a week. With the emptying of each compartment 12,the cover 18a may be removed therefrom forcing the user to proceed tothe next aligned semicircular compartment 12. It is obvious that a userof the dispenser will proceed to use the compartments 12 in consecutiveorder beginning at one distal end of the dispenser.

FIG. 3 illustrates one means whereby individual cover sections 18a maybe removed from the semicircular compartment 12 after the contents ofsuch compartment have been exhausted as by a days use. After the dayssupply of pills or the like has been consumed, illustrated cover section18a is pivoted upwardly to an angle permitting disengagement between thediscrete cover section and curved hinge portion 12a formed integrallywith compartment 12. The roll pin portion 22 of the discrete coverportion 18a is received within pinch portion 12a and, in the normalcourse of dispenser use, is not pivoted to the extreme extent requiredto effect disengagement. The roll pin portion 22 traverses only aportion of the width of each compartment 12 as is clearly seen inFIG. 1. It will also be noted in FIG. 3 that the peripheral portion ofeach cover section 18a covering open end 12a of each compartment 12 isslightly compressed in the course of effecting a sealing engagementtherewith. This is, of course, possible because of the material offabrication of the cover section 18a which is of a resilient plasticretaining enough give to effect the desired seal.

An alternative hinged construction for use with the dispenser 10 of FIG.1 comprises a construction whereby a hinge such an hinge 24 of FIG. 4 isintegrally formed with the compartment body such as illustratedcompartment 26. The means of integral attachment comprises an arcuatestrip which may be of reduced thickness such as strip 28 of FIG. 4. Uponcompleting the medicine of each compartment 26 the cover section 24associated therewith is readily torn free from the compartment by meansalong the hinge-like strip 28.

FIG. 5 is an enlarged view illustrating the manner whereby a coversection 18a may be torn free along the notched area 20 from an adjacentcover section. The user lifts the cover being torn free while pressingdown on the adjacent cover thereby tearing the section joining the twoalong the notch 20.

FIG. 6 illustrates a second embodiment of the dispenser of thisinvention which possesses opposed main fiat surfaces 28. On one of themain flat surfaces directions and other pertinent information, such asdirections 16 relating to the contained medicine, may be adhesivelysecured in a manner similar to the directions 16 on the surface 14 ofthe dispenser 1i). Dispenser 11, by virtue of its rectangularconfiguration, utilizes a slidable cover such as cover 30 illustrated onan enlarged scale in FIG. 7.

The dispenser 11 possesses longitudinal flange portions 38 for matingwith slotted portions 4% of covers 30. In addition, the dispenser 11possesses protuberances 42, one for each compartment, alternatelyarranged on opposite sides of the dispenser 11 which are adapted toproperly position the cover 30 relative to the underlying dispensercompartments 32 during the normal course of use. Notches or recesses 44formed in the cover 30 are adapted to receive the protuberances 42therein whereby the cover 30 may be desirably located relative to theunderlying compartments 32.

In the normal course of use, therefore, an end com partment 32 of thedispenser 11 has the medicine therein exhausted as by a days consumptionof the same. As illustrated in FIG. 8, the cover 39 is thenlongitudinally moved one compartment width so as to leave the exhaustedcompartment uncovered. The distal end portion 35 of the cover 36, whichprotrudes from or extends be yond the body of the dispenser 11, is thenbroken free from the remaining integral portion of the cover 30 alongnotch 34. Thus, after a single days use of the dispenser 11, a firstcompartment 32 will remain uncovered and a cover portion 30 adapted tocover siX compartments from which the medicine is yet to be takenremains attached to the dispenser. At the end of the second days use asecond cover segment is broken free so that only five compartments ofthe dispenser remain covered, etc. The dispenser 11 of FIG. 6 isparticularly adapted for use with medicines in capsule form or the likewherein the corners of the rectangular part 32 Will not effect thestrength of the capsule.

It is seen therefore that a novel dispenser construction has beenprovided utilizing a cover portion which may be readily broken. andperiodically discarded so that the cover portion remaining covers onlythose compartments of a dispenser which still retain the desiredmedicine. It is, of course, possible in those instances to provide asliding cover portion for a dispenser having totally round compartmentsby forming the distal end of such compartments in rectangularconfiguration. The cover portion, therefore, will be slidable as cover30 illustrated in FIG. 7.

lthough the dispenser compartments will have their main body portiondesirably of rounded configuration to minimize breakage of the contentsthereof, it is not believed necessary to illustrate such an embodimentsince it would merely comprise utilizing the cover 38 of FIG. 7 with adispenser construction employing cylindrical compartments having opposedparallel upper edges on which the cover may slide. Such a construction,of course, necessitates the presence of a transitional dispenser portionbetween the uppcr main rounded portion of the container compartments andthe parallel edges thereof which will engage the slidable cover.

It is believed that the above described dispenser construction providesan accurate manner for maintaining constant check of medicines taken. Itis, of course, possible to utilize the same dispenser body portionrepeatedly while employing a series of frangible covers therewith. Itshould also be pointed out briefly that the dispenser is very useful inapplications other than the dispensing of medicines. The dispenser maybe used to dispense most chemicals in predetermined quantities.

Without further elaboration, the foregoing will so fully explain thecharacter of our invention that others may, by applying currentknowledge, readily adapt the same for use under varying conditions ofservice, while retaining certain features which may properly be said toconstitute the essential items of novelty involved, which items areintended to be defined and secured to me by the following claims.

I claim:

1. In a dispenser construction, the combination comprising acompartmented container having at least one substantially flat, planarsurface, said container compartments being in substantial axialalignment and having open ends disposed in substantially a single plane;an integral cover for all of said compartments; said cover being readilyfrangible into discrete cover sections each of which is adapted to coverat least one of said compartments, said cover also having a male hingeportion for each of said container compartments receivable in a slottedfemale hinge portion formed integrally with a container portion defininga compartment open end; said cover being readily disengageable from saidcontainer by pivoting said cover beyond a predetermined angle relativeto said container compartments and moving said cover away therefrom;said hinge portions extending parallel to the longitudinal axis of saiddispenser.

2. The dispenser construction of claim 1 in which said containercompartments are at least circular throughout half of their crosssections.

3. The dispenser construction of claim 1 in which each discrete sectionof said cover is predeterminantly formed on its underside to resilientlyengage the periphery of the upper distal end of each of said containercompartments in sealing, air-tight engagement.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS Diament 206-424 XR Gilfillan eta1. 20656 XR Dunbar 22023.8 X

2/ 1962 Donofrio 22023.8 XR 4/1963 Davis 206-56 7/1966 Kotzek et a1.206-42 X 11/1966 Hallerbach 20642 FOREIGN PATENTS 5/ 1922 France.

3/1930 France.

Motlfiy 220315 XR 10 MARTHA L. RICE, Primary Examiner.

